meet me by the death balloon
by clangwee
Summary: Somehow this makes her think of all those times when she had put him in this very place–-waiting. Just for a word. A look. A smile. God, she'd been nothing but a total bitch to him, hadn't she? Post 5x11 oneshot.


**A/N:** KLAROLINE SEX. That is all.

The title is from Alex Turner's song, "Glass in the Park", because it was playing in the background when I was writing and it gave me feels. Srsly, the guy's like one of the best lyricists out there.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing blah blah blah

(This is unbeta'd y'all. TVD 5x11 canon.)

* * *

><p><em>.<em>

_._

_._

_i'll wait for you_

_as if i'm waiting for the storm to stop_

_._

_._

_._

* * *

><p>It looks so small from where she sits now.<p>

The world, she means.

* * *

><p>"Caroline?"<p>

The call is picked up at the third ring and still, after all this time it strikes her dumb a little bit, the way he says name.

"Hi." She greets.

He doesn't respond as quickly as she expected. The Klaus she knows would have been arrogant and cheeky as hell the moment he opens his mouth but then again would she still be talking to the same man?

"How are you?" She adds then, more chipper.

There's a rustling of paper, a light thump of an object being put down."I'm... busy as always, love. And you?"

His voice is still light and raspy as she remembers and she takes a moment, reveling.

"Same." She replies when suddenly, someone bumps to her knee, making her hiss. A middle-aged man, obviously drunk, stumbles off his stool beside her without even an apology.

"Who's that? Are you out, love?" Klaus asks, hearing all of it. "Taking a break from your thesis then?"

Her foreheads wrinkles.

Seriously. So the jerk still keep tabs of her.

"How was Paris, by the way? Did you stop by the Louvre?"

"So you've heard about that." Somehow his interest elicits a tug on her lips and she smiles despite of herself." Let me guess. Stefan?"

"No."

"Who then?" She holds her glass up to the bartender and signals for another scotch. "We all know you're Stefan's dirty little secret."

He chuckles, the sound of it so familiar to her ears. "Am I now?"

His voice has dropped a few octaves when he spoke and something tells her he's not talking about Stefan anymore.

"Uh-huh." She simply hums, not taking the bait. She downs her drink quick before signaling for another.

"Well..." He continues then and she can hear him lick his lips when he paused. "While I admit Stefan has his uses—"

"And by _uses—_"

"—_I learned_," He cuts her off, laughter in his tone. "I learned that his brother is a bit more forthcoming when it comes to what I'm supposedly missing out from your little town."

"_Damon?_ Really?"

"Yes, and quite a mouth he has with him, that one." He hasn't stop laughing and she can just imagine how much he's _dimpling_ right now.

(And she is allowed to, right? There's no point in being guilty for . _Remembering. _Heck, she already slept with the guy. It's innocent... compared to other things she remembers. Other things she can't forget.)

"I take it the trip helped? With the writing I mean?"

"It did. It's been _way_ easier, you know, just being actually there."

"And how's your new traveling partner, sweetheart? Alex was it?"

She rolls her eyes.

"Did he take you to the Eiffel Tower?"

"Yes, Alex did and s_he—" _She pauses her emphasis. "—was very sweet, might I add."

He falls quiet for a bit.

She bites her lower lip between her teeth, grinning, as she lets the word sink in.

"_She?_" His voice comes through after a moment, the incredulity almost comical, and she bursts out laughing.

"I bet Damon failed to mention that."

"He did." He chortles. "And I'm inclined to believe it was on purpose."

There's another pause.

She swears she can actually hear wheels turning from the other end.

"So you and Alex are..."

"Yes, we _were._"

"And you are..."

"_No._" She denies vehemently. "Call it a phase or whatever."

(Actually, Damon made it his life mission to tell everyone Klaus screwed her so hard, she's never going to screw any man again.)

(And yes, they all know.)

"Well the question is begging to be asked, love." She rolls her eyes, knowing where this is leading. "How the bloody hell did that happened?"

"Things change." Caroline says simply, shrugging her shoulders as if he can see.

But in a blink of an eye, the mood shifts. He doesn't speak and she feels the silence stretching, the weight of it hanging and pulling them in. Was it because of her poor choice of words?

It's just... It's been so easy talking to him. It's been so easy to _get lost_ with himthat she hadn't given much thought to what she might actually mean. Maybe she meant to say "preferences change" or something but what difference does it make when it's really just about change?

She chugs her glass empty and orders another one.

"How much have you had, love?" Klaus inquires then, his supernatural ears catching her drink.

"Three. I think."

"What are you having?"

"Scotch. Neat."

There's a rustle of movement, the creaking of a cabinet, a pouring of liquid, the sound of his _smile—_

"Same." Klaus tells her.

And isn't it peachy that how this is reminiscent of that one time at the Grill? He, all stubbled jaw and puppy dog eyes and, she, sass queen slash the blonde distraction. He knew her being there had nothing to do with his company but with the plotting his death, but still, how he_ smiled_ at her then_—_

Somehow the memory doesn't seem far too long ago.

She lived, died, and lived again. Forever stuck in an in between year. She isn't the only one cursed in this eternal night but most of the time it sure as hell feel like it.

Of course Bonnie, Jeremy, and Matt fare the best these days while Elena is still not being very Elena. Stefan and Damon are rekindling their brotherly love. Tyler comes and goes as always, and Klaus is...

It's like everyone else is finding their own loopholes in this fucked up supernatural limbo and proceeded to move on without telling or including her.

Everyone else found their escape hatch.

Their _fire exit._

And yet she's here, left alone with a dead end in the burning house, withering.

Fading.

"Join me for a drink." Caroline finally speaks.

He is silent for the moment, swirling his glass. "I believe this is–"

"No, I mean, _join_ me."

Because she doesn't want to wither, to fade. She doesn't want to be forgotten. And isn't it time for her she seeks her own loophole? Not the right one. Not the Mystic Falls-approved one. But the one she wants.

This is her then, seeking.

She sneaks the dark-skinned man at the balcony who greeted her with a blinding smile the moment she walked in in his bar. He's still smiling. "Mr. Gerard's got quite a nice place here, hasn't he?"

He doesn't speak.

He pauses and becomes so quiet all at once, there's not even the sound of habitual breathing.

Somehow this makes her think of all those times when she had put him in this very place—_waiting_.

Just for a word.

A look.

A smile.

God, she'd been nothing but a total _bitch_ to him, hadn't she?

And what a cruel twist of fate that the roles seem reversed now and she's the one dreading of a possibility of rejection.

(Nope, even worse. Rejection _via phone_.)

"Why, Caroline?"

His question sounds so loaded that she hears every single thing he doesn't say: _Why now? Why, after how we left things? After all this time?_

And just like their last interlude in the woods, she is honest with him.

"I told you before never to come back to Mystic Falls but I never said I wouldn't come after you."

"Come see me." And she hangs up.

* * *

><p>It's a marvel how the body can remember, how much memory the muscle can retain.<p>

First, the curling of his fingers on her lower back, his calloused palm running beneath her hair, to the skin of her nape. Then comes the tip of his nose tracing her jaw, his hot breath fanning the side of neck, their knees brushing as she perches her chin on the hollow of his shoulder, her lithe arms knotting behind his back. Every indentation of her body fits his like a puzzle piece, every bit of him opens her up like a key.

Everything else fades.

He holds her like he did that morning they became lovers.

She wouldn't lie. He's a sinfully beautiful man, albeit his wickedness. He cared for her even if she didn't deserve it. And the thought of giving in played once, twice, in her curious mind even before she decided to give him the time of her day. But always, she pictured it happening in the darkness, beneath the blanket of the night and not under the embroidery of trees, showered by dappled sunlight. It was supposed to be quick and rough and not intense and lingering.

A dirty admission and not an honest confession.

All corrupting and not ever consuming.

She clings to him too like she hadn't been angry at him the whole time for leaving her, for being a second choice fuck after Hayley, for ruining everything with Tyler, and yet still for making her _want him_.

There's a hand on her elbow and suddenly he's pulling back, his teal gaze on hers.

"Your friends—"

"I know."

Klaus blinks, studying her.

"The child—"

"_I know._"

She lifts a hand to cup his jaw and he closes his eyes, leaning to it.

"I never intended to break my promise, Caroline." He murmurs, voice so small and folded.

Because all the time, he's been serious in letting her go. He knows she'll never come to him.

Because deep inside he's still the boy nobody ever loved. Little Niklaus nobody ever chooses.

But she knows that too. She _understands_ because he's right. He's always been right.

_They are the same._

Foolish and stubborn and afraid of being left behind, they found each other.

Again.

"I know." Caroline whispers close to his lips and he opens his eyes, leaning his forehead to hers. "That's why I'm breaking it for you."

* * *

><p><em>.<em>

_._

_._

_tell me, how can i put you off_

_when you are a matter of urgency_

_i've got a million things that i need to do_

_but they are all secondary_

_make sure you are not followed_

_and meet me by the death balloon_

_paraselene woman_

_i'm your man in the moon_

_._

_._

_._

* * *

><p><strong>AN 2.0:**

1.) I tried. Please forgive me if you think this sucks. *creys*

2.) I did not include this to "I love you as certain dark things to be loved" because it seems fitting to give it its own place.

3.) I wrote control because I wanted to write klaroline in spite of the klayley baby and now I'm writing this because I want to write klaroline in spite of the 5x11 "closure".

4.) The "calling" part is somewhat similar to a drabble I've written for klaroline69 but then again the dynamic is totes different, right? RIGHT?

5.) Fun fact: The song "Afternoon Delight" was playing when I was writing the part about the Klaroline sex lol.

6.) I hear Klaus is gonna have a new love interest in the coming episode. WTF. Like the only purpose of Klaroline in 5x11 is to "break them up" so that Klaus can now pursue another girl. Lol that literally makes me want to punch Julie in the face.

7.) KLAROLINE IS ENDGAME. ARE YOU WITH ME IN THIS?

8.) stalk me on tumblr: hybridtunnelvision . tumblr . com


End file.
